Lighting device with reflective electroactive polymer actuator
a technology of electroactive polymer actuators and lighting devices, which is applied in the direction of lighting and heating apparatus, semiconductor devices for light sources, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of difficult control and restricted beam forming, and achieve the effect of easy and versatile control of irradiated light beams
- Summary
- Abstract
- Description
- Claims
- Application Information
AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
Problems solved by technology
Method used
Image
Examples
second embodiment
[0028]In FIG. 2 a reflective electroactive polymer actuator 1 according to the invention is schematically depicted in a sectional view. The electroactive polymer actuator 1 comprises a thin passive top layer 5 and multiple layers 6 underneath, all layers 6 being made of an elastic electroactive polymer material which can be actuated by an applied voltage. Further, the top layer 5 is provided with a reflective coating 3. The LED which acts as a light source and irradiates the reflective electroactive polymer actuator 1 with incident light is not shown in this and the following Figures for the sake of clarity.
[0029]Between the layers 5, 6 patterned electrodes 7 are provided. Schematically, one of these electrodes 7 can be seen from FIG. 3 in a top view. Conductor lines 70 are nested into each other and are in the form of concentric circles. The conductor lines 70 are connected to each other and to a terminal 8—either cathode or anode—of the voltage control arrangement 4. Adjacent elec...
third embodiment
[0030]As can be seen from FIG. 4, which schematically depicts a patterned electrode of an electroactive polymer actuator according to the invention in a top view, alternatively, the distances between the conductor lines 70 of the electrodes 7 are all the same, but the widths of the conductor lines 70 decrease from the inside to the outside. This is another way of achieving that the strain in the elastic layers 6 decreases from the inside to the outside when a voltage is applied, also providing for the possibility of a parabolic form of the reflectively coated layer 5.
[0031]Further, FIG. 5 schematically depicts a patterned electrode of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a fourth embodiment of the invention in a top view. According to this fourth embodiment of the invention, the widths between the conductor lines 70 of the electrodes 7 and the distances between the conductor lines 70 are all the same. However, different voltages V01 to V04 can be applied to the different c...
fifth embodiment
[0032]FIG. 6a, b, c schematically depict in a sectional view a reflective electroactive polymer actuator according to the invention in an initial position (V=0), altered position (V=V0), and initial but pre-bent position (V=0), respectively. The top layer 5 is a passive layer with substantial bending strength and is provided with a reflective coating 3. The layers 6 underneath are active layers which can be deformed with the aid of an applied voltage. Further, the layers 6 under the top layer 5 can be comprised of one or more stacked layers of an electroactive polymer material. As can be seen from FIG. 6b, when a voltage is applied, the system deforms from a flat to a concave shape. However, the system can also be pre-bent, i.e. if no voltage is applied there is already some degree of concavity, as can be seen from FIG. 6c. For example, this can be achieved by gluing the layers 5, 6 together in this pre-bent state.
[0033]From FIG. 7 a reflective electroactive polymer actuator accordi...
PUM
Login to View More Abstract
Description
Claims
Application Information
Login to View More